Ruskin and "The Black Arts"
"In the autumn of 1887 Ruskin was in London, staying, as usual, at Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar Square, whence a two minutes' walk would carry him to the National Gallery. His window overlooked the gallery—'where the Turners are,' he said markedly; but not caring for the light, he sat with his back towards it, drawing himself up into one side of his chair with knees and feet together in his characteristic attitude. When I told him that the editorship of the Magazine of Art had just been confided to me, he clapped his hands and cried, 'Bravo! I'm so glad,' and immediately proposed to contribute an article to its pages. It was agreed that the article in question should appear in the January number, and that it should be followed by at least one other. Then he went off to Sandgate to recuperate, whence he wrote: 'When do you want your bit of pleasant writing? Did I say it would be pleasant? I have no confidence in that prospect. What I meant was that it would not be deliberately unpleasant; and I will further promise it shall not be technical. But I fear it will be done mostly in grisaille. I don't feel up to putting any sparkle in—nor colour, neither.' 'For one thing,' he wrote on another occasion—for he had now grown quite enthusiastic over the Magazine, and was offering a good deal of very acceptable advice—'I shall strongly urge the publication of continuous series of things, good or bad. Half the dullness of all art books is their being like specimen advertisement books instead of complete accounts of anything.' Then followed the announcement, 'I have finished the introductory paper; you will see it chats about a good many things.'"
When the article arrived it had no title, and, as the press was waiting, a telegram was dispatched to Ruskin asking him to supply the omission. The characteristic reply came: "I never compose by telegram, but call it 'The Black Arts,' if you like." A subsequent letter of confirmation supplied as a sub-title, "A Reverie in the Strand"; and after protesting against the telegram, which "always makes me think somebody's dead," he replied
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